Hair treatment method and hair holder

ABSTRACT

A hair treatment method for curling a lock of hair using a hair holder is provided. The hair holder includes a tubular body into which a lock of hair can be inserted from an opening at a first end of the tubular body toward an opening at a second end thereof, and the tubular body is configured to be capable of being rolled up. The hair treatment method includes inserting a lock of hair into the hair holder, rolling up the tubular body together with the lock of hair inserted in the tubular body so that a large diameter portion that has a tubular shape and forms an outer circumferential portion and a small diameter portion that is located inside the large diameter portion and has a space between the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion are formed, and performing curling while maintaining this wound state.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a hair treatment method and a hairholder.

BACKGROUND ART

A method for imparting a predetermined shape to a lock of hair is knownin which a lock of hair is inserted into a tubular body of a hair holderand the tubular body is then rolled up. For example, Patent Literature 1discloses a method in which a lock of hair is inserted into a pocketportion of a hair holder including a tubular body and the hair holder isthen rolled up.

Patent Literature 2 discloses a method for imparting a predeterminedshape to a lock of hair by inserting a lock of hair into a tubular bodyof a hair holder, then winding the tubular body, and twisting, orfolding like an accordion, the tubular body partially or entirely.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,255,765A

Patent Literature 2 JP H10-192036A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a hair treatment method for curling alock of hair using a hair holder including a tubular body, the tubularbody having: a first opening located at a first end of the tubular body;and a second opening located at a second end of the tubular body, andbeing configured to allow a lock of hair to be inserted from the firstopening toward the second opening and to be capable of being rolled up.The method includes: inserting a lock of hair into the hair holder,rolling up the tubular body together with a lock of hair inserted in thetubular body in such a manner that, in the tubular body, a largediameter portion that has a tubular shape and that forms an outercircumferential portion and a small diameter portion that is locatedinside the large diameter portion and has been formed thereby creating aspace between the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion;and performing the curling while maintaining this wound state.

Also, the present invention provides hair holder including a tubularbody which has: a first opening located at a first end of the tubularbody; and a second opening located at a second end of the tubular body,and which is configured to allow a lock of hair to be inserted from thefirst opening toward the second opening and to be capable of beingrolled up. The tubular body in its natural state is rolled up in such amanner that a large diameter portion that has a tubular shape and thatforms an outer circumferential portion and a small diameter portion thatis located inside the large diameter portion and that has a spacebetween the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion areformed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a front view and a rear view, respectively, showingan embodiment of a hair holder that is used in a hair treatment methodof the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the hair holder in which a tubularbody shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is wound into a roll shape, and FIG. 2B isa cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 2A.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams sequentially illustrating aprocedure for performing the hair treatment method of the presentinvention using the hair holder shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the hairtreatment method illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B is applied to hair.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams showing an example in which thehair treatment method illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B is applied to headhair.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view showing another embodiment with respectto slits shown in FIG. 1A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A hairstyle is known in which a portion near hair ends is curly andportions other than the portion near the hair ends are straight. Such ahairstyle can be set by imparting two types of curl shapes withdifferent roll diameters to a lock of hair. However, in setting theaforementioned hairstyle, different tools are used for different rolldiameters, and it is necessary to perform a curling treatment step foreach roll diameter. Thus, there are cases where the curling operation iscomplicated and the time required for curling is prolonged. The methodsdisclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are the methods that impart a curlshape with a single roll diameter to hair and cannot address theabove-described problems.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a hair treatment method anda hair holder with which the above-described drawbacks of the relatedart can be eliminated.

Hereinafter, the hair treatment method of the present invention will bedescribed based on preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to thedrawings. The hair treatment method of the present invention is a hairtreatment method for curling a lock of hair using a hair holder.“Curling” refers to imparting a particular shape to a lock of hair.Moreover, the hair treatment method of the present invention is mainlyapplied to head hair.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an embodiment of the hair holder that is used inthe hair treatment method of the present invention. A hair holder 1shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B includes a tubular body 2 which has an opening21 located at a first end and an opening 22 located at a second end. Thetubular body 2 is configured to allow a lock of hair H be inserted fromthe opening 21 at a first end toward the opening 22 at a second end.Specifically, the tubular body 2 has a flat shape formed by two sheets23A and 23B that are elongated in one direction being laid one on top ofthe other, the two sheets 23A and 23B serving as a first surface sheet23A and a second surface sheet 23B, which will be described later. Thetubular body 2 also has a pair of side joint portions 24 where the firstsurface sheet 23A and the second surface sheet 23B are joined to eachother, and a tubular portion 26 that is located between the pair of sidejoint portions 24. Each of the pair of side joint portions 24 are formedby joining side edge portions of the two sheets 23A and 23B to eachother, the side edge portions extending along the extending direction ofthe two sheets. The tubular portion 26 has, between the opening 21 atthe first end and the opening 22 at the second end, a space into whichthe lock of hair H can be inserted. In the present embodiment, the sidejoint portions 24 are formed through sewing using a sewing thread.

The tubular body 2 of the present embodiment has a longitudinaldirection X and a width direction Y that is orthogonal to thelongitudinal direction X. The longitudinal direction X of the tubularbody 2 is the same as the extending direction of the tubular portion 26and corresponds to the direction in which the lock of hair H isinserted.

Opposite side edge portions of the tubular body 2 that extend along thelongitudinal direction X are parallel to each other as shown in thepresent embodiment; however, the opposite side edge portions need not beparallel to each other. In that case, it is preferable that the oppositeside edge portions extend gradually outward in the width direction Yfrom the opening 21 at the first end toward the opening 22 at the secondend. In other words, it is preferable that, in a plan view, the tubularbody 2 has a shape that widens toward the opening 22 at the second end.

The tubular body 2 is configured to be capable of being rolled up. Beingconfigured to be capable of being rolled up means that the tubular body2 can be wound into a roll shape. Such a configuration is preferably aconfiguration in which the tubular body 2 automatically rolls up, butmay also be a configuration in which the tubular body 2 is manuallyrolled up. An example of the automatic rolling-up configuration is aconfiguration in which the tubular body 2 is wound in a roll shape inits natural state, and after stretching out the tubular body 2 andinserting a lock of hair H therein, the tubular body 2 rolls up togetherwith the lock of hair H upon being released from the stretched state.Such a configuration can be realized by either or both of the two sheets23A and 23B, which constitute the tubular body 2, being made of a shapememory sheet that has preliminarily retained the state in which the hairholder 1 is rolled up. The shape memory sheet can be formed by bondingtogether films having different heat shrinkage rates or films havingdifferent tensions, or by using a sheet containing a shape memory resinas a material for forming the shape memory sheet. In a case where thetubular body is made of a shape memory sheet containing a shape memoryresin, the tubular body in a wound state is heated to a temperatureequal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the shapememory resin and then cooled, and in this manner, the tubular body canretain the wound state. Moreover, the tubular body 2 may also return toits retained original roll shape when the sheets 23A and 23Bconstituting the tubular body 2 are heated. “In its natural state” asused herein means the state that the hair holder where no eternal forceis applied is horizontally placed in the environment of temperature of20° C. and humidity of 40%.

In the tubular body 2, the sheet that is located on the inside whenrolled up is also referred to as the first surface sheet 23A, and thesheet that is located on the outside when rolled up is also referred toas the second surface sheet 23B.

In the hair treatment method of the present invention, after the lock ofhair is inserted into the tubular body 2 from the opening at the firstend toward the opening at the second end, the tubular body 2 is rolledup together with the lock of hair H inserted in the tubular body 2 insuch a manner that a large diameter portion 31 and a small diameterportion 33, which will be described later, are formed. In the followingdescription, the tubular body 2 that has been rolled up into a rollshape in such a manner that the large diameter portion 31 and the smalldiameter portion 33 are formed as shown in FIG. 2A will also be referredto as a lock-of-hair holding body. As shown in FIG. 2B, a lock-of-hairholding body 3 of the present embodiment has a spiral cross-sectionalshape in a radial direction that is orthogonal to the direction of thecentral axis of the roll. In the lock-of-hair holding body 3, theopening 22 at the second end is located on the center side of the rollthat has been rolled up. The center is on the central axis of thelock-of-hair holding body that is roll-shaped. According to the hairtreatment method of the present invention, the tubular body 2 is rolledup together with a lock of hair to form the roll-shaped, lock-of-hairholding body 3 in this manner.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the lock-of-hair holding body 3 has thelarge diameter portion 31 that has a tubular shape and forms an outercircumferential portion and the small diameter portion 33 that islocated inside the large diameter portion 31 and has a space S betweenthe smaller diameter portion and the large diameter portion. The wording“has a space S” means that the maximum distance between the largediameter portion 31 and the small diameter portion 33 in a cross sectionof the lock-of-hair holding body taken along the aforementioned radialdirection is 5 mm or greater.

In the lock-of-hair holding body 3, the large diameter portion 31 is awound portion that is the farthest from the central axis of the roll ofthe lock-of-hair holding body 3, and has the greatest roll diameter. Ina case where the hair holder 1 has an extended portion, which will bedescribed later, the extended portion is contained in the large diameterportion 31. In the lock-of-hair holding body, the small diameter portion33 is a wound portion that is nearer to the central axis than the largediameter portion 31. As shown in FIG. 2B, the outer diameter D2 of thesmall diameter portion 33 is smaller than the inner diameter D1 of thelarge diameter portion 31. The number of turns of the large diameterportion 31 is one. The number of turns of the small diameter portion 33is less than one, or one or more, and may be two or more, for example.The number of turns of the small diameter portion 33 of the presentembodiment is two, as shown in FIG. 2A.

In the hair treatment method of the present invention, the tubular bodyis rolled up so as to form the above-described lock-of-hair holding body3, and curling of the lock of hair is performed while maintaining thiswound state. A preferred embodiment of the hair treatment method of thepresent invention will be described taking a case where the hairtreatment method is performed using the hair holder 1 shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B as an example. FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a procedure of the hairtreatment method of the present embodiment.

The hair treatment method of the present embodiment includes a step ofinserting a lock of hair H into the tubular body 2, a step of formingthe lock-of-hair holding body 3, and a step of performing a curlingtreatment of the lock of hair H. In the following description, the stepof inserting a lock of hair H into the tubular body 2 will also bereferred to as an insertion step, the step of forming the lock-of-hairholding body 3 as a rolling-up step, and the step of performing thecurling treatment of the lock of hair as a curling treatment step.

In the insertion step, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, a lock of hair H isinserted into the tubular body 2 from the opening 21 at the first end ofthe tubular body 2 toward the opening 22 at the second end. At thistime, the lock of hair H is inserted between the two sheets 23A and 23Bconstituting the tubular body 2. In the tubular body 2, the base side ofthe lock of hair H is located on the opening 21 side at the first end,and the hair-end side is located on the opening 22 side at the secondend. In the present embodiment, a hair-end portion near the hair ends ofthe lock of hair H inserted into the tubular body 2 is placed within thetubular body 2. However, a portion of the lock of hair H may protrudefrom the opening 22 at the second end.

The operation of inserting the lock of hair H at the insertion step maybe performed using an operator's hands, or may be performed using anelongated hair insertion tool for inserting a lock of hair H into thetubular body 2. An example of the hair insertion tool is a hairinsertion tool having a locking portion that can lock the lock of hair Hand an elongated, insertion tool main body that has a predeterminedlength. More specifically, in the hair insertion tool, the insertiontool main body is formed into an elongated plate-like shape, and an endportion thereof has a tapered shape so as to be easily inserted into theopening at the first end of the tubular body 2. Preferably, theinsertion tool main body is formed of a hard synthetic resin sheet orthe like. The locking portion is provided at one end of the insertiontool main body, formed into a ring shape that is longer than it is wide,and the lock of hair can be inserted into, and locked in, this ring.

In the rolling-up step, the tubular body 2 is rolled up together withthe lock of hair H inserted into the tubular body 2 to form theabove-described lock-of-hair holding body 3. In the present embodiment,as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the tubular body 2 is rolled up from theopening 22 at the second end toward the opening 21 at the first endalong the longitudinal direction X. That is to say, the tubular body 2is rolled up in such a manner that the opening 22 at the second end ispositioned on the center side of the lock-of-hair holding body that isroll-shaped, and thus the lock-of-hair holding body 3 is formed. Therolling-up of the tubular body 2 may be performed using theaforementioned configuration in which the tubular body 2 automaticallyrolls up, or may be performed using the aforementioned configuration inwhich the tubular body 2 is manually rolled up.

The lock-of-hair holding body 3, that is, the large diameter portion 31and the small diameter portion 33 may be formed at the same time as thetubular body 2 is rolled up. From the standpoint of making it easy toadjust the size of the large diameter portion 31 and the small diameterportion 33, it is preferable that, after the tubular body 2 has beenrolled up into a semi-wound state, the large diameter portion 31 and thesmall diameter portion 33 are formed by performing a winding andtightening operation or an unwinding operation on a portion of thetubular body 2. The “semi-wound state” as used herein means a woundstate prior to the formation of the large diameter portion 31 and thesmall diameter portion 33 and in which a space is not yet formed betweenthe outer circumferential portion and a wound portion that is locatednearer to the central axis than the outer circumferential portion.

In the lock-of-hair holding body 3 of the present embodiment, the lockof hair H inserted in the tubular body 2 is in a wound state similar tothat of the lock-of-hair holding body 3, with the base side of the lockof hair H being placed in the large diameter portion 31, and thehair-end side in the small diameter portion 33. In this wound state, theportion of the lock of hair H that is placed in the large diameterportion 31 and the portion that is placed in the small diameter portion33 have different roll diameters. In the lock-of-hair holding body 3,the number of turns of the small diameter portion 33 corresponds to thenumber of turns of the portion of the lock of hair H that is placed inthe small diameter portion 33. For example, if the number of turns ofthe small diameter portion 33 is two, the number of turns of the portionof the lock of hair H that is placed in the small diameter portion 33 isalso two.

In the curling treatment step, the curling treatment of the lock of hairH is performed while maintaining the wound state of the lock-of-hairholding body 3. In this step, the lock of hair H is maintained in awound state similar to that of the lock-of-hair holding body bymaintaining the form of the lock-of-hair holding body 3. The tubularbody can be maintained in the form of the lock-of-hair holding body 3using the configuration in which the tubular body automatically rolls upor a fixing means that fixes the tubular body in the wound state. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4, the tubular body 2 can be maintained in theform of the lock-of-hair holding body 3 by using a hair clip 9 as thefixing means. The fixing means will be described later. When the tubularbody 2 is maintained in the form of the lock-of-hair holding body 3, theportion of the lock of hair H that is placed in the large diameterportion 31 is in a wound state similar to that of the large diameterportion 31. Also, the portion of the lock of hair H that is placed inthe small diameter portion 33 is in a wound state similar to that of thesmall diameter portion 33. The curling treatment of the lock of hair isperformed while maintaining this wound state. The curling treatment is atreatment for imparting a curl shape to the lock of hair, and examplesthereof include a treatment of allowing the tubular body in the woundstate to stand for a predetermined period of time, a treatment ofheating the tubular body, and a permanent treatment that is performedwith a permanent wave agent applied to the lock of hair from the outsideof the tubular body.

The curling treatment step is completed by removing the lock of hairfrom the tubular body. Curl shapes with different roll diameters areimparted to the lock of hair removed from the tubular body. A “curlshape” as used herein includes a curl shape with the number of turnsbeing more than one, and also a circular arc shape with the number ofturns being less than one. In this step, a curl shape with the number ofturns being one or a circular arc shape with the number of turns beingless than one is imparted to the portion of the lock of hair that isplaced in the large diameter portion 31. The larger the outer diameterof the large diameter portion 31 of the lock-of-hair holding body 3, themore largely the portion of the lock of hair that is placed in the largediameter portion 31 is curved, and accordingly the more likely that thisportion is shaped into a circular arc shape with the number of turnsbeing less than one. Furthermore, if the large diameter portion has alarge outer diameter, the portion of the lock of hair that is placed inthe large diameter portion is likely to be shaped substantiallystraight. A curl shape with the roll diameter being smaller than that ofthe large diameter portion 31 and the number of turns being more thanone is imparted to the portion of the lock of hair that is placed in thesmall diameter portion 33.

An example in which the hair treatment method of the present embodimentis applied to head hair will be described using FIGS. 5A to 5C. FIG. 5Ashows head hair that is wavy except for base-side portions near thescalp. The hair treatment method of the present embodiment is applied tothis wavy head hair as shown in FIG. 5B. Specifically, portions of thehead hair are separated into a plurality of locks of hair, the locks ofhair are inserted into the tubular bodies 2 of hair holders 1 in theabove-described manner, the tubular bodies 2 are rolled up into theforms of lock-of-hair holding bodies, and the curling treatment isperformed while maintaining the respective wound states (see FIG. 5B).In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B, hair-end portions near the hair endsof the locks of hair are placed in the small diameter portions 33 of thelock-of-hair holding bodies, and major portions of hair excluding thehair-end portions are placed in the large diameter portions 31. Thus, asshown in FIG. 5C, the hair-end portions of the head hair that are placedin the small diameter portions 33 are shaped into inward curls. On theother hand, curl shapes with larger roll diameters than the rolldiameters of the hair-end portions are imparted to the major portions ofthe head hair that are placed in the large diameter portions 31;however, the major portions are shaped substantially straight because ofthe large roll diameters. Note that an inward curl refers to a shape ofa curl of head hair that is wound in a winding direction closer to theface, and an outward curl refers to a shape of a curl of head hair thatis wound in a winding direction away from the face. In the hairtreatment method of the present embodiment, substantially straightshapes may be imparted to the portions of the locks of hair that areplaced in the large diameter portions 31, or large curl shapes may beimparted thereto.

As described above, according to the hair treatment method of thepresent embodiment, it is possible to impart curl shapes with differentroll diameters to a lock of hair in a single curling treatment, withouthaving to use a plurality of types of hair holders with different rolldiameters. Therefore, the curling operation is simple and easy.Moreover, since it is no longer necessary to perform the curlingtreatment for each roll diameter, the time required for curling can bereduced.

Furthermore, since the curling treatment can be completed all at once,it is no longer necessary to repeatedly perform the heat treatment ofheating a tubular body, or the permanent treatment, as the curlingtreatment for each roll diameter, and damage to hair caused by thesetreatments can be reduced.

After the curling treatment step, the lock of hair that has beensubjected to the curling treatment may be subjected to a post-treatment,if necessary. As the post-treatment, hair washing, drying using a dryingmeans such as a dryer, the application of a hair treatment agent, andother treatments can be performed alone or in a combination of two ormore. Examples of the hair treatment agent that may be used in thepost-treatment include a hair conditioning agent, apre-hair-conditioning agent, a styling agent, a hair tonic agent, a hairrestoration and hair growth agent, and the like.

From the standpoint of even more reliably imparting curl shapes withdifferent roll diameters to a lock of hair as described above, the innerdiameter D1 of the large diameter portion 31 is preferably not less than1.2 times and more preferably not less than 1.5 times the outer diameterD2 of the small diameter portion 33, is preferably not more than 10times and more preferably not more than 6.5 times the outer diameter D2,and is preferably from 1.2 to 10 times and more preferably from 1.5 to6.5 times the outer diameter D2. In a case where the large diameterportion 31 has a non-circular outline in a radial direction that isorthogonal to the direction of the central axis of the lock-of-hairholding body 3, an equivalent circle diameter (diameter of a circle thathas an area equal to that of the inside of the outline) is used as theinner diameter D1 of the large diameter portion 31. In a case where thesmall diameter portion 33 has a non-circular outline in the radialdirection, an equivalent circle diameter (diameter of a circle that hasan area equal to that of the outside of the outline) is used as theouter diameter D2 of the small diameter portion 33. Note that, in a casewhere the small diameter portion 33 is wound a plurality of turns, theouter diameter of the largest diameter portion of the small diameterportion 33 is regarded as the outer diameter D2 of the small diameterportion 33.

With the hair treatment method of the present invention, the curling canbe performed at any position in a lock of hair. That is to say, theposition to be curled by the hair treatment method of the presentinvention is not limited, and the hair treatment method can be appliedto the entirety or a portion of a lock of hair, depending on the lengthof the hair, the hairstyle to be set, and the like. For example, as inthe above-described embodiment, curling may be performed in a woundstate in which a hair-end portion of a lock of hair is placed in thesmall diameter portion 33 and a portion other than the hair-end portionof the lock of hair is placed in the large diameter portion 31. Ahair-end portion as used herein refers to a portion near the hair endsof a lock of hair and spans approximately 6 cm from the end of the lockof hair. Moreover, curling may also be performed in a wound state inwhich a hair-end portion of a lock of hair as well as at least a part ofan intermediate portion that is located between the hair-end portion anda base portion are placed in the small diameter portion 33, and the restof the intermediate portion as well as the base portion, which islocated nearer to the base side than the intermediate portion, areplaced in the large diameter portion 31.

The hair treatment method of the present invention can be used to curlthe hair prior to the curling treatment or to straighten out the hairthat has been subjected to the curling treatment.

From the standpoint of making it easy to partially impart a curl shapewith a large roll diameter to a lock of hair, the inner diameter D1 (seeFIG. 2B) of the large diameter portion 31 is preferably 40 mm or greaterand more preferably 50 mm or greater, is preferably 100 mm or less andmore preferably 80 mm or less, and is preferably from 40 to 100 mm andmore preferably from 50 to 80 mm.

Also, from the standpoint of making it easy to partially impart a curlshape with a small roll diameter to a lock of hair, the outer diameterD2 (see FIG. 2B) of the small diameter portion 33 is preferably 10 mm orgreater and more preferably 15 mm or greater, is preferably 40 mm orless and more preferably 35 mm or less, and is preferably from 10 to 40mm and more preferably from 15 to 35 mm.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the lock-of-hair holding body 3 has a spaceS between the large diameter portion 31 and the small diameter portion33. The small diameter portion 33 is located inside the large diameterportion 31, and a portion of an outer circumferential portion of thesmall diameter portion is contiguous with the large diameter portion 31.The portion of the small diameter portion 33 that is contiguous with thelarge diameter portion 31 is also referred to as a “connecting portionC”. In a cross section taken along the aforementioned radial direction,the farther away the small diameter portion 33 is from the connectingportion C, the longer the distance between the small diameter portion 33and the large diameter portion 31 is.

From the standpoint of making it easier to impart a curl shape to aportion of the lock of hair, in the hair treatment method of the presentinvention, it is preferable to curl the lock of hair in a state in whichmoisture is applied to the lock of hair in advance. In this case, themoisture is applied to the lock of hair at a stage preferably prior tothe rolling-up step, or more preferably prior to the insertion step.Moreover, although water may be applied to the lock of hair, a stylingagent containing water may also be applied. A commonly commerciallyavailable styling agent can be used as the styling agent. Examples ofcomponents contained in the styling agent other than water includesilicone oil, alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms (ethanol, propanol,isopropanol, tert-butyl alcohol, and 1,3-butylene alcohol), cationicpolymers, various oil agents, and the like. An oil agent is used toimprove the hair collectability after drying. Examples of the oil agentinclude hydrocarbons such as squalene, squalane, liquid isoparaffin,light liquid isoparaffin, heavy liquid isoparaffin, α-olefin oligomers,liquid paraffin, and cycloparaffin; glycerides such as castor oil, cacaooil, mink oil, avocado oil, and olive oil; waxes such as whale wax,lanolin, beeswax, microcrystalline wax, ceresin wax, and carnauba wax;esters such as octyldodecyl myristate, isopropyl myristate, isopropylpalmitate, hexyl laurate, cetyl lactate, propylene glycol monostearate,oleyl oleate, hexadecyl 2-ethylhexanoate, isononyl isononanoate, andtridecyl isononanoate; higher fatty acids such as capric acid, lauricacid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, oleicacid, palm oil fatty acid, isostearic acid, and isopalmitic acid; higheralcohols such as myristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, stearylalcohol, isostearyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, 2-octyldodecanol, andcetostearyl alcohol; as well as isostearyl glyceryl ether,polyoxypropylene butylether, and the like. The method for applyingmoisture to the lock of hair is not limited to a specific method, andexamples thereof include a method of spraying water or a styling agentonto the lock of hair using a spray or the like and a method of pouringrunning water over the lock of hair using a shower or the like.Moreover, it is also possible to perform hair washing and the likebefore performing the hair treatment method and perform theabove-described curling in a state in which the hair is not dried or issemi-dried.

From the standpoint of even more reliably imparting a curl shape to aportion of the lock of hair, it is preferable that, in the curlingtreatment step, the curling is performed by subjecting the lock of hairheld in the tubular body 2 to a permanent treatment. The permanenttreatment is a treatment for curling by performing anoxidation-reduction treatment, and is usually performed using apermanent wave agent. Known permanent wave agents can be used as thepermanent wave agent. For example, a one-component agent or atwo-component agent composed of a first agent containing a reducingagent and a second agent containing an oxidizing agent can be used.Here, the reducing agent cleaves disulfide bonds of keratin thatconstitutes hair, and examples thereof include thioglycollic acid andderivatives thereof, thiolactic acid and derivatives thereof, cysteinand derivatives thereof, and salts and the like of these agents. Theoxidizing agent recombines the cleaved disulfide bonds of keratin in thehair, and examples thereof include potassium bromate, sodium bromate,sodium perborate, and hydrogen peroxide.

In the curling treatment step, the permanent wave agent can be injectedinto the tubular body 2 via, for example, a slit, which will bedescribed later.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the hair holder 1 has an extended portion 4near an end portion of the opening 21 at the first end of the tubularbody 2, the extended portion 4 being constituted by the first surfacesheet 23A extending outward in the longitudinal direction X from thetubular body 2. The extended portion 4 is integrally formed with thefirst surface sheet 23A. Although the hair holder need not have theextended portion near the end portion of the opening at the first end,it is preferable that the hair holder has the extended portion, from thestandpoint of making it easy to insert the lock of hair into the tubularbody.

Moreover, it is preferable that the hair holder has the extendedportion, because, as will be described later, if the hair holder 1 has afixing member 5 serving as a fixing means that maintains the tubularbody in a wound state, the fixing member 5 can be provided in theextended portion.

From the standpoint of making it easy to perform the curling operation,it is preferable that the tubular body 2 is maintained in a wound statein which it is wound to form the lock-of-hair holding body 3 by a fixingmeans that can maintain the tubular body in the wound state. This willbe described taking a case where the aforementioned hair clip 9 is usedas the fixing means as an example. The hair clip 9 includes a pair ofclamp portions. As shown in FIG. 4, one of the clamp portions of thehair clip 9 is inserted into a space near the central axis of thelock-of-hair holding body 3, and the tubular body 2 is clamped by thepair of clamp portions from both of the inside of that space and theouter circumferential portion side. In this manner, the tubular body isfixed in the wound state. An example of other fixing means is a bandmember that fixes the tubular body 2 in a wound state in which it iswound to form the lock-of-hair holding body 3, by being wound around thelarge diameter portion 31 or the like. As described above, the fixingmeans may be separate from the hair holder. However, from the standpointof improving the ease of the curling operation, it is preferable thatthe hair holder has the fixing means that maintains the tubular body 2in a wound state. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the hairholder 1 of the present embodiment has the fixing member 5 serving asthe fixing means. The fixing member 5 has a first member 5 a and asecond member 5 b that can be detachably joined to each other. In thepresent embodiment, the first member 5 a is provided on an outer surfaceof the first surface sheet 23A, or more specifically on an outer surfaceof the extended portion 4, and the second member 5 b is provided on anouter surface of the second surface sheet 23B. The “outer surfaces”means the surfaces on the opposite side to the surfaces that form thespace into which the lock of hair can be inserted. In the lock-of-hairholding body 3, the first member 5 a is joined to the second member 5 bthat is located in the large diameter portion 31, and thus the tubularbody 2 can be maintained in the wound state in which it is wound to formthe lock-of-hair holding body 3.

A joint member, or a male and female member, constituted by a pluralityof members that can be detachably joined to each other can be suitablyused as the fixing member 5. Examples of the joint member include anadherend-selective pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, a magnet, and thelike. Examples of the male and female member include a hook and eye, amechanical hook-and-loop fastener, and the like.

The adherend-selective pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is apressure-sensitive adhesive tape that adheres only to a particularsubstance and substantially does not adhere to any other substances. Thewording “substantially does not adhere” includes not only a case wherethe adherend-selective pressure-sensitive adhesive tape does not createan adhesion state with any substance other than the particular substancebut also a case where, even though the adherend-selectivepressure-sensitive adhesive tape creates an adhesion state with asubstance other than the particular substance, the adhesion statequickly disappears if a slight relative movement occurs between thatsubstance and the adherend-selective pressure-sensitive adhesive tape.Such an adherend-selective pressure-sensitive adhesive tape includes atape base material and a self-adhesive agent applied to the tape basematerial, and the self-adhesive agent adheres only to a substance of thesame kind and substantially does not adhere to other substances. That isto say, the self-adhesive agent has adhesiveness only to theself-adhesive agent itself.

As an example of the adherend-selective pressure-sensitive adhesive tapehaving the above-described configuration, a pressure-sensitive adhesivetape including a self-adhesive agent and a tape base material disclosedin JP 2007-167192A can be used.

From the viewpoint of product versatility and simplicity, the hairholder and a fixing means which is an alternative fixing means of theabove-mentioned fixing member may be separately provided. Thealternative fixing means is preferably a clip. The alternative fixingmeans may be removably attached to the hair holder to maintain thetubular body, which has a first surface sheet and a second surfacesheet, in the wound state. When the tubular body is rolled up, the firstsurface sheet is located on the inside of the tubular body and thesecond surface sheet is located on the outside of the tubular body. Suchalternative fixing means may be made of suitable materials. The suitablematerials are preferably selected from the group consisting of plastics,glass, ceramics and metal. It is preferred that the alternative fixingmeans is a clip made of plastics or metal.

The hair holder 1 is not necessarily required to have a slit. The hairholder 1 of the present embodiment has a plurality of slits 25 that areintermittently arranged in either one of the surfaces of the tubularbody 2 along the longitudinal direction X of the tubular body 2. Each ofthe slits 25 extends in the width direction Y. From the standpoint ofsmoothly rolling up the tubular body 2, it is preferable that the hairholder has a plurality of slits 25 that are arranged in series along thelongitudinal direction X, in either one of the surfaces of the tubularbody 2. In this case, it is sufficient that the slits are formed in oneor the other surface constituting the tubular body 2, and the slits mayalso be formed in both of the surfaces. From the standpoint of making iteasy to roll up the tubular body 2, it is preferable that, during therolling-up of the tubular body, the tubular body is rolled up in such amanner that the slits are disposed on the outside, and the curling isthen performed. The hair holder 1 of the present embodiment has theplurality of slits 25 in the second surface sheet 23B, which is locatedon the outside when the tubular body is rolled up, and each of the slits25 extends in the width direction Y. Moreover, in the presentembodiment, the slits penetrate the second surface sheet 23B in itsthickness direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, the slits may each have circular portions at bothend portions thereof. The two end portions of each slit shown in FIG. 6may be formed in a circular shape through punching, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the hair holder 1 of the present embodimenthas winding and tightening tabs 8 in the opposite side edge portions,respectively, of the tubular body 2, the winding and tightening tabs 8being located near the opening 22 at the second end. As shown in FIG.1B, the winding and tightening tabs 8 extend outward in the widthdirection Y from the tubular body 2 and are integrally formed with thefirst surface sheet 23A, and each have a semicircular shape in a planview. Due to the hair holder having the winding and tightening tabs, thetubular body can be rolled up easily, and tightly, if necessary, byrolling up the tubular body by holding the winding and tightening tabswith hands. The formation method, shape, size, thickness, arrangement,and the like of the winding and tightening tabs 8 can be setappropriately.

According to the hair holder of the above-described embodiment, afterthe lock-of-hair holding body 3 has been formed by performing therolling-up in such a manner that the large diameter portion 31 and thesmall diameter portion 33 are formed, the form of the lock-of-hairholding body 3 is maintained using the fixing means. However, from thestandpoint of making it easy to form and maintain the wound state of thelock-of-hair holding body 3, it is preferable that, in the hair holder,the tubular body in its natural state is rolled up so that the largediameter portion 31 and the small diameter portion 33 are formed. In thefollowing description, this hair holder will also be referred to as adouble-ring hair holder. In the double-ring hair holder, a tubular bodyin its natural state is wound into the form of the lock-of-hair holdingbody 3 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and this form can be maintainedwithout using the aforementioned fixing means. The double-ring hairholder is configured such that, after stretching out the tubular body,the tubular body automatically rolls up into the form of thelock-of-hair holding body 3 upon being released from the stretchedstate. This tubular body can be obtained by using a shape memory sheetfor either or both of the two sheets constituting the tubular body andmaking the shape memory sheet retain a state in which it is rolled upinto the form of the lock-of-hair holding body 3. In order to make theshape memory sheet retain such a state, for example, the shape memorysheet is rolled up so that the large diameter portion 31 and the smalldiameter portion 33 are formed, and the shape memory sheet is heated inthis rolled-up state. A shape memory sheet having the same configurationas that described above, except for returning to the form of thelock-of-hair holding body 3 when it is heated, can be used as the shapememory sheet.

The double-ring hair holder can have a configuration similar to that ofthe above-described hair holder except that the tubular body in itsnatural state is rolled up so that the large diameter portion 31 and thesmall diameter portion 33 are formed. For example, as is the case withthe above-described hair holder, in a cross section of the lock-of-hairholding body 3 of the double-ring hair holder taken along the radialdirection, the maximum distance between the large diameter portion 31and the small diameter portion 33 is 5 mm or greater.

From the standpoint of making it easier to impart curl shapes withdifferent roll diameters to a lock of hair as described above, in thenatural state, the inner diameter D1 of the large diameter portion 31 ofthe double-ring hair holder is preferably not less than 1.2 times andmore preferably not less than 1.5 times the outer diameter D2 of thesmall diameter portion 33, is preferably not more than 10 times and morepreferably not more than 6.5 times the outer diameter D2, and ispreferably from 1.2 to 10 times and more preferably from 1.5 to 6.5times the outer diameter D2.

As in the case of the above-described embodiment, a hair treatmentmethod that uses the double-ring hair holder includes an insertion step,a rolling-up step, and a curling step. In the case where the double-ringhair holder is used, in the rolling-up step, the tubular bodyautomatically rolls up so as to form the large diameter portion 31 andthe small diameter portion 33. That is to say, the lock-of-hair holdingbody 3 is automatically formed. In the curling treatment step, thecuring treatment is performed on the lock of hair without using a fixingmeans. With respect to the present hair treatment method, descriptionsregarding the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A to 6 above appropriatelyapply to those points that are not described except for theabove-described points.

Now, materials for forming the various portions of the hair holder andthe double-ring hair holder will be described.

Examples of the material for forming a sheet constituting the tubularbody include a nonwoven fabric (polyethylene nonwoven fabric,polyethylene terephthalate nonwoven fabric, or the like), a wovenfabric, a net-like sheet, a porous or non-porous resin film(polyethylene film, polyethylene terephthalate film, or the like),paper, a polymer material sheet, a rubber sheet, a composite of thesematerials, or the like. Moreover, the tubular body may be entirely orpartially made of a shape memory sheet described above. In this case,amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (A-PET) or the like may be used asthe shape memory resin contained in the shape memory sheet.

The thickness of each of the first surface sheet and the second surfacesheet is preferably 5 μm or greater and more preferably 10 μm orgreater, is preferably 2,000 μm or less and more preferably 1,500 μm orless, and is preferably from 5 to 2,000 μm and more preferably from 10to 1,500 μm.

Preferably, a sheet that constitutes the tubular body is subjected toprocessing for improving the diffusibility of the hair treatment agentsuch as a permanent wave agent. Examples of this processing include, butare not limited to, embossing, calendering, resin film formation, andthe like. For example, the embossing can improve the diffusibility byforming protrusions successively arranged in the longitudinal directionof the sheet and thereby allowing the hair treatment agent to flow alongthe protrusions. The calendering can improve the diffusibility of thehair treatment agent by adjusting the density of the sheet thatconstitutes the tubular body. The resin film formation can improve thediffusibility of the hair treatment agent by forming a resin film withlow liquid absorbency partially or entirely on the sheet thatconstitutes the tubular body and thereby reducing the total liquidabsorption amount of the sheet.

The dimensions and the like of the tubular body 2 can be appropriatelydetermined in accordance with the length of hair, the section of hairthat is desired to be curled, and the volume of a lock of hair to beinserted, but are preferably within the following ranges.

From the standpoint of even more reliably imparting curl shapes withdifferent roll diameters to a lock of hair, the length W2 (see FIG. 1B)of the tubular body 2 in the width direction Y is preferably 25 mm orgreater and more preferably 30 mm or greater, is preferably 200 mm orless and more preferably 150 mm or less, and is preferably from 25 to200 mm and more preferably from 30 to 150 mm.

From the standpoint of making it easy to form the large diameter portion31 and the small diameter portion 33, the length L1 (see FIG. 1B) of thehair holder 1 in the longitudinal direction X is preferably 50 mm orgreater and more preferably 100 mm or greater, is preferably 400 mm orless and more preferably 350 mm or less, and is preferably from 50 to400 mm and more preferably from 100 to 350 mm. In the case where thehair holder has the extended portion, the length L1 of the hair holder 1in the longitudinal direction X is the sum of the lengths of theextended portion 4 and the tubular body 2 in the longitudinal directionX.

From the same standpoint as described above, the length L2 of thetubular body 2 in the longitudinal direction X is preferably 45 mm orgreater and more preferably 90 mm or greater, is preferably 300 mm orless and more preferably 275 mm or less, and is preferably from 45 to300 mm and more preferably from 90 to 275 mm. With respect to the lengthof the tubular body 2 in the longitudinal direction X, an end portion ofthe tubular body 2 of the present embodiment on the opening 21 side atthe first end is curved into a concave shape curving inward in thelongitudinal direction X. In a case where the length of the tubular body2 in the longitudinal direction X varies depending on the position inthe width direction Y in this manner, it is preferable that the maximumlength of the tubular body 2 in the longitudinal direction X is withinthe aforementioned range.

The length W22 (see FIG. 1B) in the width direction Y, of the opening 22at the second end relative to the length W2 of the tubular body 2 in thewidth direction Y is preferably 40.0% or greater and more preferably66.7% or greater, is preferably 97.5% or less and more preferably 96.7%or less, and is preferably from 40.0% to 97.5% and more preferably from66.7% to 96.7%.

The length W22 (see FIG. 1B) in the width direction Y, of the opening 22at the second end is preferably 10 mm or greater and more preferably 20mm or greater, is preferably 195 mm or less and more preferably 145 mmor less, and is preferably from 10 to 195 mm and more preferably from 20to 145 mm.

In the present embodiment, the length W22 in the width direction Y ofthe opening 22 at the second end is equal to the length in the widthdirection Y of the opening 21 at the first end. In the width directionY, the length of the opening 22 at the second end and the length of theopening 21 at the first end may be equal to each other or may bedifferent from each other.

Here, the slits extending in the width direction of the second surfacesheet 23B means slits with a width of less than 3 mm. From thestandpoint of making it easy to perform the operation of rolling up thetubular body, the length W6 (see FIG. 1A) of the slits 25 in the widthdirection Y relative to the length W2 of the tubular body 2 in the widthdirection Y is preferably 40.0% or greater and more preferably 50.0% orgreater, is preferably 90.0% or less and more preferably 80.0% or less,and is preferably from 40.0% to 90.0% and more preferably from 50.0% to80.0%.

From the same standpoint as described above, the length W6 (see FIG. 1A)of the slits 25 in the width direction Y is preferably 10 mm or greaterand more preferably 15 mm or greater, is preferably 180 mm or less andmore preferably 120 mm or less, and is preferably from 10 to 180 mm andmore preferably from 15 to 120 mm.

A method for producing the hair holder 1 will be described. The tubularbody of the hair holder can be formed by superposing two sheets one ontop of the other and integrating side portions of the two sheets alongtheir longitudinal direction. Alternatively, the tubular body of thehair holder can be formed by folding a single sheet into a rectangularshape in a plan view, and integrating side portions of the sheet thatextend along its longitudinal direction and overlap each other. A sheetfor forming the tubular body can be produced from a raw material sheetby punching the raw material sheet into a desired shape.

Examples of the method for integrating sheets for forming the tubularbody, that is, the method for forming the pair of side joint portions 24include fusion bonding such as heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing,adhesion using an adhesive or the like, sewing, and the like.

The hair treatment method and the hair holder of the present inventionare not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and appropriate changescan be made thereto without departing from the gist of the presentinvention.

For example, the shape and the surface of a sheet material thatconstitutes the tubular body may be a surface that has protrusions anddepressions or may be a flat surface.

The present invention further discloses the following hair treatmentmethods and hair holders.

<1> A hair treatment method for curling a lock of hair using a hairholder including a tubular body, the tubular body having: a firstopening located at a first end of the tubular body; and a second openinglocated at a second end of the tubular body, and being configured toallow a lock of hair to be inserted from the first opening toward thesecond opening and to be capable of being rolled up,

the method comprising

inserting a lock of hair into the hair holder,

rolling up the tubular body together with the lock of hair inserted inthe tubular body in such a manner that, in the tubular body, a largediameter portion that has a tubular shape and that forms an outercircumferential portion and a small diameter portion that is locatedinside the large diameter portion are formed thereby creating a spacebetween the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion, and

performing the curling while maintaining this wound state.

<2> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <1>,

wherein the tubular body is rolled up together with the lock of hair insuch a manner that the large diameter portion and the small diameterportion are formed, thereby to form a lock-of-hair holding body that isroll-shaped, and the maximum distance between the large diameter portionand the small diameter portion in a cross section of the lock-of-hairholding body taken along a radial direction thereof is 5 mm or greater.

<3> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <1> or <2>,

wherein an inner diameter of the large diameter portion is not less than1.2 times an outer diameter of the small diameter portion.

<4> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<3>,

wherein an inner diameter of the large diameter portion is not less than1.2 times, or preferably not less than 1.5 times, an outer diameter ofthe small diameter portion.

<5> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<4>,

wherein an inner diameter of the large diameter portion is preferably 40mm or greater and more preferably 50 mm or greater, is preferably 100 mmor less and more preferably 80 mm or less, and is preferably from 40 to100 mm and more preferably from 50 to 80 mm.

<6> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<5>,

wherein an outer diameter of the small diameter portion is preferably 10mm or greater and more preferably 15 mm or greater, is preferably 40 mmor less and more preferably 35 mm or less, and is preferably from 10 to40 mm and more preferably from 15 to 35 mm.

<7> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <2>,

wherein, after the tubular body has been rolled up into a semi-woundstate prior to the formation of the large diameter portion and the smalldiameter portion, the large diameter portion and the small diameterportion are formed by performing a winding and tightening operation, oran unwinding operation on a portion of the tubular body.

<8> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<7>,

wherein the curling is performed in a wond state in which a hair-endportion of the lock of hair is placed in the small diameter portion anda portion other than the hair-end portion of the lock of hair is placedin the large diameter portion.

<9> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<8>,

wherein the curling is performed in a wound state in which a hair-endportion of the lock of hair is placed in the small diameter portion anda base portion of the lock of hair is placed in the large diameterportion.

<10> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<9>,

wherein the lock of hair is curled in a state in which moisture isapplied to the lock of hair in advance.

<11> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <10>, the methodcomprising:

an insertion step of inserting the lock of hair into the tubular body,and

a rolling-up step of rolling up the tubular body together with the lockof hair in such a manner that the large diameter portion and the smalldiameter portion are formed, thereby to form a lock-of-hair holding bodythat is roll-shaped,

wherein moisture is applied to the lock of hair at a stage prior to therolling-up step or prior to the insertion step.

<12> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <10> or <11>,

wherein a styling agent containing water is used as the moisture appliedto the lock of hair,

the styling agent contains silicone oil, an alcohol having 1 to 4 carbonatoms, a cationic polymer, and an oil agent as components other thanwater, and

the alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms is one or two or more alcoholsselected from ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, tert-butyl alcohol, and1,3-butylene alcohol.

<13> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <12>,

wherein the oil agent includes a hydrocarbon, a glyceride, a wax, anester, a higher fatty acid, a higher alcohol, isostearyl glyceryl ether,and polyoxypropylene butylether,

the hydrocarbon is one or two or more hydrocarbons selected fromsqualene, squalane, liquid isoparaffin, light liquid isoparaffin, heavyliquid isoparaffin, an α-olefin oligomer, liquid paraffin, andcycloparaffin,

the glyceride is one or two or more glycerides selected from castor oil,cacao oil, mink oil, avocado oil, and olive oil,

the wax is one or two or more waxes selected from whale wax, lanolin,beeswax, microcrystalline wax, ceresin wax, and carnauba wax,

the ester is one or two or more esters selected from octyldodecylmyristate, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, hexyl laurate,cetyl lactate, propylene glycol monostearate, oleyl oleate, hexadecyl2-ethylhexanoate, isononyl isononanoate, and tridecyl isononanoate,

the higher fatty acid is one or two or more higher fatty acids selectedfrom capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearicacid, behenic acid, oleic acid, palm oil fatty acid, isostearic acid,and isopalmitic acid, and

the higher alcohol is one or two or more higher alcohols selected frommyristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol,isostearyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, 2-octyldodecanol, and cetostearylalcohol.

<14> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <10>to <13>,

wherein hair washing is performed before performing the hair treatmentmethod, and the curling is performed in a state in which the hair is notdried or is semi-dried.

<15> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<14>,

wherein the lock of hair held in the tubular body is subjected to apermanent treatment to curl the lock of hair.

<16> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <15>,

wherein the permanent treatment is performed using a permanent waveagent, and

a one-component agent or a two-component agent composed of a first agentcontaining a reducing agent and a second agent containing an oxidizingagent is used as the permanent wave agent.

<17> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <16>,

wherein the reducing agent is one or two or more agents selected fromthioglycollic acid and derivatives thereof, thiolactic acid andderivatives thereof, cystein and derivatives thereof, and salts of theseagents, and

the oxidizing agent is one or two or more agents selected from potassiumbromate, sodium bromate, sodium perborate, and hydrogen peroxide.

<18> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<17>,

wherein the hair holder has a plurality of slits that are intermittentlyarranged in either one of surfaces of the tubular body along alongitudinal direction of the tubular body.

<19> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <18>,

wherein during the rolling-up of the tubular body, the tubular body isrolled up in such a manner that the slits are disposed on the outside,and the curling is then performed.

<20> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <18> or <19>,

wherein a permanent wave agent is injected into the tubular body via theslits.

<21> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <18>to <20>,

wherein the tubular body has the longitudinal direction and a widthdirection that is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction,

a length of the slits in the width direction relative to a length of thetubular body in the width direction is preferably 40.0% or greater andmore preferably 50.0% or greater, is preferably 90.0% or less and morepreferably 80.0% or less, and is preferably from 40.0% to 90.0% and morepreferably from 50.0% to 80.0%.

<22> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<21>,

wherein the hair holder has a fixing means that maintains the tubularbody in the wound state.

<23> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <22>,

wherein the hair holder has a fixing member as the fixing means, thefixing member being a joint member, or a male and female member, thejoint member, and the male and female member being constituted by aplurality of members that can be detachably joined to each other.

<24> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <23>,

wherein the joint member is an adherend-selective pressure-sensitiveadhesive tape or a magnet.

<25> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <23>,

wherein the male and female member is a hook and eye or a mechanicalhook-and-loop fastener.

<26> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <23>,

wherein the tubular body has a first surface sheet and a second surfacesheet, and when the tubular body is rolled up, the first surface sheetis located on the inside of the tubular body and the second surfacesheet is located on the outside of the tubular body, and

the fixing member has a first member and a second member that can bedetachably joined to each other, the first member being provided on anouter surface of the first surface sheet and the second member beingprovided on an outer surface of the second surface sheet.

<27> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <26>,

wherein the hair holder has an extended portion near an end portion ofthe first opening of the tubular body, the extended portion beingconstituted by the first surface sheet extending outward in alongitudinal direction of the tubular body from the tubular body, and

the first member is provided on an outer surface of the extendedportion.

<28> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<27>, comprising using the hair holder and a fixing means which isseparate from the hair holder,

wherein the tubular body has a first surface sheet and a second surfacesheet, and when the tubular body is rolled up, the first surface sheetis located on the inside of the tubular body and the second surfacesheet is located on the outside of the tubular body, and

the fix means is removably attached to the hair holder to maintain thetubular body in the wound state.

<29> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<28>,

the hair holder has winding and tightening tabs on opposite side edgeportions, respectively, of the tubular body, the winding and tighteningtabs being located near the second opening side.

<30> The hair treatment method as set forth in any one of clauses <1> to<29>,

wherein the tubular body is entirely or partially composed of a shapememory sheet.

<31> The hair treatment method as set forth in clause <30>,

wherein a shape memory resin contained in the shape memory sheet isamorphous polyethylene terephthalate.

<32> A hair holder including a tubular body which has: a first openinglocated at a first end of the tubular body; and a second opening locatedat a second end of the tubular body, and which is configured to allow alock of hair to be inserted from the first opening toward the secondopening and to be capable of being rolled up,

wherein the tubular body in its natural state is rolled up in such amanner that a large diameter portion that has a tubular shape and thatforms an outer circumferential portion and a small diameter portion thatis located inside the large diameter portion and that has a spacebetween the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion areformed.

<33> The hair holder as set forth in clause <32>,

wherein, when the tubular body that has been rolled up in such a mannerthat the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion areformed and is roll-shaped is referred to as a lock-of-hair holding body,the maximum distance between the large diameter portion and the smalldiameter portion in a cross section of the lock-of-hair holding bodytaken along a radial direction thereof is 5 mm or greater.

<34> The hair holder as set forth in clause <32> or <33>,

wherein an inner diameter of the large diameter portion is not less than1.2 times an outer diameter of the small diameter portion.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, curl shapes with different rollshapes can be imparted to a lock of hair in a single curling treatment.

1. A hair treatment method for curling a lock of hair using a hairholder including a tubular body, the tubular body having: a firstopening located at a first end of the tubular body; and a second openinglocated at a second end of the tubular body, and being configured toallow a lock of hair to be inserted from the first opening toward thesecond opening and to be capable of being rolled up, the methodcomprising inserting a lock of hair into the hair holder, rolling up thetubular body together with the lock of hair inserted in the tubular bodyin such a manner that, in the tubular body, a large diameter portionthat has a tubular shape and that forms an outer circumferential portionand a small diameter portion that is located inside the large diameterportion are formed thereby creating a space between the small diameterportion and the large diameter portion, and performing the curling whilemaintaining this wound state.
 2. The hair treatment method according toclaim 1, wherein the tubular body is rolled up together with the lock ofhair in such a manner that the large diameter portion and the smalldiameter portion are formed, thereby to form a lock-of-hair holding bodythat is roll-shaped, and the maximum distance between the large diameterportion and the small diameter portion in a cross section of thelock-of-hair holding body taken along a radial direction thereof is 5 mmor greater.
 3. The hair treatment method according to claim 1, whereinan inner diameter of the large diameter portion is not less than 1.2times an outer diameter of the small diameter portion.
 4. The hairtreatment method according to claim 1, wherein the curling is performedin a wound state in which a hair-end portion of the lock of hair isplaced in the small diameter portion and a portion other than thehair-end portion of the lock of hair is placed in the large diameterportion.
 5. The hair treatment method according to claim 1, wherein thelock of hair is curled in a state in which moisture is applied to thelock of hair in advance.
 6. The hair treatment method according to claim1, the method comprising: an insertion step of inserting the lock ofhair into the tubular body, and a rolling-up step of rolling up thetubular body together with the lock of hair in such a manner that thelarge diameter portion and the small diameter portion are formed,thereby to form a lock-of-hair holding body that is roll-shaped, whereinmoisture is applied to the lock of hair at a stage prior to therolling-up step or prior to the insertion step.
 7. The hair treatmentmethod according to claim 1, wherein the lock of hair held in thetubular body is subjected to a permanent treatment to curl the lock ofhair.
 8. The hair treatment method according to claim 1, wherein thehair holder has a plurality of slits that are intermittently arranged ineither one of surfaces of the tubular body along a longitudinaldirection of the tubular body, and during the rolling-up of the tubularbody, the tubular body is rolled up in such a manner that the slits aredisposed on the outside, and the curling is then performed.
 9. The hairtreatment method according to claim 1, wherein the hair holder has afixing member as a fixing means that maintains the tubular body in thewound state, the tubular body has a first surface sheet and a secondsurface sheet, and when the tubular body is rolled up, the first surfacesheet is located on the inside of the tubular body and the secondsurface sheet is located on the outside of the tubular body, and thefixing member has a first member and a second member that can bedetachably joined to each other, the first member being provided on anouter surface of the first surface sheet and the second member beingprovided on an outer surface of the second surface sheet.
 10. The hairtreatment method according to claim 9, wherein the hair holder has anextended portion near an end portion of the first opening of the tubularbody, the extended portion being constituted by the first surface sheetextending outward in a longitudinal direction of the tubular body fromthe tubular body, and the first member is provided on an outer surfaceof the extended portion.
 11. The hair treatment method according toclaim 1, comprising using the hair holder and a fixing means which isseparate from the hair holder, wherein the tubular body has a firstsurface sheet and a second surface sheet, and when the tubular body isrolled up, the first surface sheet is located on the inside of thetubular body and the second surface sheet is located on the outside ofthe tubular body, and the fix means is removably attached to the hairholder to maintain the tubular body in the wound state.
 12. The hairtreatment method according to claim 1, wherein, after the tubular bodyhas been rolled up into a semi-wound state prior to the formation of thelarge diameter portion and the small diameter portion, the largediameter portion and the small diameter portion are formed by performinga winding and tightening operation, or an unwinding operation on aportion of the tubular body.
 13. The hair treatment method according toclaim 1, wherein the hair holder has winding and tightening tabs onopposite side edge portions, respectively, of the tubular body, thewinding and tightening tabs being located near the second opening side.14. A hair holder including a tubular body which has: a first openinglocated at a first end of the tubular body; and a second opening locatedat a second end of the tubular body, and which is configured to allow alock of hair to be inserted from the first opening toward the secondopening and to be capable of being rolled up, wherein the tubular bodyin its natural state is rolled up in such a manner that a large diameterportion that has a tubular shape and that forms an outer circumferentialportion and a small diameter portion that is located inside the largediameter portion and that has a space between the small diameter portionand the large diameter portion are formed.
 15. The hair holder accordingto claim 14, wherein, when the tubular body that has been rolled up insuch a manner that the large diameter portion and the small diameterportion are formed and is roll-shaped is referred to as a lock-of-hairholding body, the maximum distance between the large diameter portionand the small diameter portion in a cross section of the lock-of-hairholding body taken along a radial direction thereof is 5 mm or greater.